Imus in a pink slip
Imus has been given the boot, and a couple of things need to be noted:
1. This is not a First Amendment issue. "Free speech'' in the Constitution prevents the government from gagging folks. Les Moonves of CBS can do anything he wants about the bloviations of those whose paychecks he signs.
2. It does no good to protest the firing by saying that those who cried the loudest for his dismissal have said offensive things. "He did it first'' carried no weight when my kids tried to avoid punishment by pointing out that a sibling got away with the same infraction. (Although it is a little chilling to hear Al Sharpton talking in terms of Imus being the tip of the iceberg and let's find everybody else who's said objectionable things and get them fired, too.)
3. The problem with a forum like radio is that, unlike print media, there are no editors. I have editors, a veritable phalanx of them, to make sure that I don't sneak the word "ass'' or "doody'' into my work. That's true even here in the Wild West of the blogosphere.
1. This is not a First Amendment issue. "Free speech'' in the Constitution prevents the government from gagging folks. Les Moonves of CBS can do anything he wants about the bloviations of those whose paychecks he signs.
2. It does no good to protest the firing by saying that those who cried the loudest for his dismissal have said offensive things. "He did it first'' carried no weight when my kids tried to avoid punishment by pointing out that a sibling got away with the same infraction. (Although it is a little chilling to hear Al Sharpton talking in terms of Imus being the tip of the iceberg and let's find everybody else who's said objectionable things and get them fired, too.)
3. The problem with a forum like radio is that, unlike print media, there are no editors. I have editors, a veritable phalanx of them, to make sure that I don't sneak the word "ass'' or "doody'' into my work. That's true even here in the Wild West of the blogosphere.
posted by Michael Riley at 10:11 AM
4 Comments:
there are 5-10 second delays , however, for censors to bleep objectionable material for live broadcasts..Tv and radio...and parental control passwords, etc on cable remotes..so there is some self-censoring available at least to protect younger children from these offenses..just as you have the right to screen these blogs and omit them with a disclaimer if you so desire...have a nice @#$! day!
Imus made a foolish, insensitive remark and it was a mistake. The girls weren't the object of a racial incident; they were the subject of a foolish and tasteless joke emitted from a radio comedian/shockjock and Imus probably gave it no more thought than any of a million other things he's said on the airwaves for 30+ years. Ironically, Imus is one of the people who these girls could turn to if they ever have a child and fear SIDS or have a child who has cancer. If anyone is foolish enough to think that a great step forward has been taken in the effort to stamp out rascism, I feel sorry for them. A little advice for the ladies basketball team, et al: 1. Learn what real racism is at it's core. 2. Learn to forgive.
as one broadcaster said last night, Imus committed jaywalking, but was given the death sentence..it is over-reaction and enough, already...
Rosie O'Donnell has said things on par with Imus, and somehow, she still has her job.
Margaret
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